cuddling

In this new PSA with the stars of Teen Mom, the girls try to warn teens about the dangers of sex by saying they should have just cuddled with their baby daddies instead of doing the deed. By focusing on cuddling as a viable way to prevent teen-sex consequences, this video takes a roundabout approach to talking about safe sex, STDs, and pregnancy prevention. Maybe the idea is that these girls just wanted intimacy with their boyfriends over the physical act of intercourse, but the video isn't quite clear with its message. Watch the video below and tell us what you think about the PSA.

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Is Cuddling-Over-Sex an Effective Message?

Yes

No

You don't want to deny a cuddler. Because if he's not getting it from you, he'll go elsewhere. Like into the seedy underbelly of affection known as cuddle parties, and risk bringing home a CTD (cuddling transmitted disease) like bedbugs.

Most men don't advertise themselves as cuddlers anywhere off Craigslist, but I've never met a boyfriend who didn't want to cuddle morning, noon, and night. Sometimes twice! Dave Johns, a self-professed cuddler, is conflicted: his relentless need for affection challenges his manhood because, as he put it, "real men don't cuddle." But I think men love to cuddle — maybe more than women? — and they just don't like to talk about it.

Since there is a cuddle hormone, we can assume some people are more prone to cuddling than others. So, tell me, who initiates it the most in your relationship?

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Who's the Cuddler in Your Relationship?

Me!

Him

It's pretty even.

"Hug-starved Americans are queuing up to squeeze total strangers," if we believe today's Daily Mail. While most of us are reluctant to touch people we don't know, some people crave nonsexual physical contact and are willing to get it from strangers at cuddle parties.

One company, simply named Cuddle Party, charges about $10 a session. They have rules too, the first three being:

1. Pajamas stay on the whole time.
2. You don’t have to cuddle anyone at a Cuddle Party, ever.
3. You must ask permission and receive a verbal YES before you touch anyone. (Be as specific in your request as you can.)

I don't know if rule number two assures me or freaks me out, since it suggests you can go just to watch. As creepy as it might seem, it could be good for your health, though: research shows that people who cuddle are less likely to become depressed. What do you make of it?

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Cuddle Parties — Cool or Crazy?

Cool — I love the idea of nonsexual physical contact.

Crazy — I'll cuddle with a stuffed animal before I hug a stranger.